Where do you carry
your stress? Neck? Upper back? Head? Low back? Would you like
some help relaxing? Chiropractic spinal manipulation offers relaxing effects particularly when directed
to the cervical and thoracic spine areas. Satterwhite Chiropractic sees
stress every day. Satterwhite Chiropractic hears our Oxford
chiropractic patients ask for more spine treatment once they experience
it! Wise chiropractic patients!
MEASURING RESPONSES TO SPINAL MANIPULATION: STRESS
Initially, how do we react to
stress? Sweaty palms. Rapid pulse and heart rate. We can feel these responses.
Researchers strive to quantify these responses. Measuring
blood pressure, heart rate variability,
heart rate, and numeric pain scale after treating upper and lower cervical
spine segments of healthy and neck pain patients, researchers discovered
that upper cervical manipulation improved
parasympathetic (calming) system and lower cervical manipulation enhanced
sympathetic (fight or flight) activity. Curiously, neck
pain patients’ parasympathetic activity was enhanced by
both upper and lower cervical manipulation. (1) Satterwhite Chiropractic notices
that the effect of touch alone is influential.
EFFECTS OF MANIPULATION ON STRESS RESPONSES
The body responds to all sorts of stimuli.
Researchers strive to see how. One
group performed a meta-analysis of multiple studies regarding
the effect of spinal manipulation and mobilization on cardiovascular responses.
Changes in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure
and heart rate were charted. They determined
that spinal manipulation and mobilization may bring about a
significant decrease of systolic as well as diastolic blood
pressure. (2) An analysis of articles about the effect of spinal manipulation
on heart rate variability stated that a greater
parasympathetic response was seen when cervical and lumbar spine
areas were treated while a greater sympathetic response was seen
when the thoracic spine was treated. (3) Another study linked
pain response to resting blood pressure pre- and post-cervical spine non-thrust
manipulation. Non-chronic neck pain patients who underwent such manipulation experienced
reduced short-term pain and reduced systolic blood
pressure. (4) There is
something to manipulation beyond pain relief, and Satterwhite Chiropractic is pleased
to share the research as it is made available.
SPINAL MANIPULATION TREATMENT
Satterwhite Chiropractic utilizes gentle spinal manipulation
applied to the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine areas to decrease
pain. Spinal manipulation of the thoracic spine effectively influences
painful mechanical thoracic spine pain better than placebo treatment. (5) Effects
of thoracic manipulation go beyond the thoracic spine. Benefits
of manipulation of the thoracic spine extend to the cervical spine
for patients with bilateral chronic mechanical neck pain. Thoracic thrust manipulation
and non-thrust mobilization deliver similar changes in patients’
pressure pain thresholds and reduce neck pain intensity. (6) These
are benefits of Oxford chiropractic care Satterwhite Chiropractic is well-equipped
to provide.
CONTACT Satterwhite Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
describes how chiropractic and The Cox® Technic
System of Spinal Pain Management may well attune parasympathetic
and sympathetic and pain responses in the body.
Make your next Oxford
chiropractic appointment soon. Your neck and shoulders and upper
back will appreciate the attention as will your reduced
pain and heart rate and blood pressure after a gentle Oxford spinal
manipulation session.